The present invention relates to a display component selecting system and method, and more particularly to a display component selecting system and method that aid in designing and creating an interactive screen between the computer and the user by GUI (Graphical User Interface).
A GUI builder is often used to design and create GUI. One of GUI builders is UIMS (User Interface Management System) commercially available in the United States. Such a GUI builder is realized using a development tool, such as Visual Basic (a trademark of Microsoft Corporation) or X Window System (a trademark of Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
FIG. 1 shows part of a display screen of Visual Basic that realizes a GUI builder. In the case of an ordinary GUI builder, when designing and preparing a GUI interactive screen, the designer selects icons 111 representing various GUI components (including buttons or lists) from a palette 112 using a mouse for each screen input/output data item that the user inputs or outputs on a display screen. Then, the designer puts the corresponding GUI components 114, 115 in the desired positions in the frame of a window 113. The GUI component is called "control" in Visual Basic. In X Window System, it is called "widget". In the figure, the detailed pattern of each icon has been omitted.
The designer considers a use for each screen input/output data item, selects and positions GUI components, and thereby represents a concrete interactive screen between the computer and the user on the display screen. GUI design and creation using such a GUI builder have encountered the following problems.
A first problem is that because the designer considers the meaning of the screen input/output data item, each time selecting and positioning a GUI component, the working efficiency is low. For example, in the case of GUI components for enabling the user to select only one from a plurality of candidates (items) prepared on the display screen, various types of GUI components can be considered. In an example of FIG. 2, various types of GUI components appear inside the frame of each of Matter of Business 211, Position 212, and Length of Stay 213 on the display screen. Specifically, there are various types of GUI components as follows.
(1) With a first type, a plurality of fixed candidates and corresponding option buttons are displayed. The user is allowed to click the option button corresponding to the desired candidate with a mouse (this type corresponds to OptionButton).
(2) With a second type, a ComboBox including a scroll bar is displayed. The user is allowed to click the scroll bar with a mouse so that the desired one of a plurality of candidates may appear in the Box (this type corresponds to ComboBox).
(3) With a third type, the user is allowed to enter the desired values and characters into the input fields from the keyboard (this type corresponds to TextBox).
In the GUI design and creation, the GUI designer has to take all of the user's possible operations into account and then select suitable ones from the various GUI components and arrange them manually. As a result, errors are liable to occur and the work takes more time and labor than expected, which leads to a low working efficiency.
A second problem is that since interactive screens lacking in the consistency of operation are offered to the user, the user is liable to make a mistake in operation or have difficulty learning how to manipulate the screens.
The GUI design and creation using the GUI builder has the advantage of being able to design a GUI interactive screen easily in such a manner that draws pictures. On the contrary, the advantage raises a third problem: the designer may design and prepare GUI without giving careful consideration to a use for the screen input/output data items to be handled by the GUI, which might lead to later minor adjustments.
In the case of GUI components of the type that allows the user to select one of a plurality of candidates and enter it, a new candidate may be added in the future. Specifically, some of the GUI components have fixed candidates for selection and some allow candidates to be added. When the user is using components for selection from the fixed candidates, being under the impression that the candidate is fixed, the user will encounter the problem of having to make the GUI over when the addition of candidates is needed. In the GUI design and creation using only the GUI builder tools, the designer has to work, taking into account a use for each screen input/output data item handled by the GUI, which exerts a high thinking load on the designer and consequently worsens the working efficiency.